U.S. national security adviser John Bolton on Tuesday linked the deployment of intermediate-range ballistic missiles (IRBMs) in Asia to protecting America¡¯s allies in the region ¡ª including Japan ¡ª despite Chinese warnings it would take retaliatory countermeasures.
Bolton said that any U.S. deployment of the missiles would be a defensive move as China continues to amass a large arsenal of weapons that put American and Japanese military bases and facilities within striking distance.
¡°We¡¯re talking only about defending our deployed forces, our allies in South Korea, Japan and elsewhere,¡± Bolton said in an interview with Fox News. ¡°It¡¯s China that¡¯s built up its military forces and posed a threat.¡±
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